Four-way cock.



1.13. ANDERSUN. mummy om.

IPLIOATIOH FILED JUNE, m10.

Patented Mar. 28, 191.1.

Wilnem ALEXANDER B. ANDERSON, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

YOUR-WAY COCK.

Application filed `Tune 29, 1910.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 191i.

serial No. 569,455.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it. known that I, ALEXANDER B. AnnunsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in iour-Nay Cocks, of which the following is a specification.

It. is the object of my invention to design a four-way cock comprising little metal and yet providing for the ports which do not. in any degree restrict the passage of the liuid tluaretlirough; that is, to construct a fourway cock that has a. relatively small casing and plug and yet withlarge openings there through, openings throughout their length of approximately the same area in cross section.

It is also the object. of my invention to constructl a four-Way cock which is inexpensive to make, and which is simple and durable in construction, not necessitating the use of stalling boxes, stalling rings, or `the like. And -my invention comprises a casing with a tapered plug seated therein and with ports arranged therein, said ports being elongated and narrow at, their inner ends and radually expanding in width and shortening in length to a point where the opening corresponds with the pipe to which the port is to be. connected, and said port having substantially the same area in cross section throughout. its length; it also comprises an arrangement. of the casing and plug with. ports or openings through the plug and casing which are substantially the same area. in cross section throughout their length; and it. also comprises a special combination of easing, plug, spring, and cap for seating the plug 1n the casing and compensating for the wear, grinding, etc.; and it also comprises the parts, improvements, and combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, and in the description of the drawings, I have shown my invention in its referred form, but. it is to be understoot that I contemplate changes in form, proportions, and materials, the transposition of parts, and the substitution of equivalent members, without departin from the spirit ofmy invention.

iigure 1 is a plan view of a cock made in accordance with the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation.y Fig. 3 is a vertical center section of the casing and cap,

i the plug being shown in elevation. Fig. 4

- is a transverse section.

And Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a modified .form of plugr with the casing.

Similar reference characters indicate like G0 or corresponding parts throughout'. the several views.

0 is the casing. which may he adapted to be connected with a union at each port 7./ Each port is round at its outer end and is G5 gradually elongated toward its inner end and atthe same [imc narrowed in width, so that its inner end is a long slot; but. this slotJ is, of substantially the same area in cross section as the round opening al; the outer end of-the port., and substantially the same area in cross seetionis maintained from one end of the port to the other through the casing. The tapered plug 8 .is seated in the casing which is correspondingly tapered 1nside, and is provided with the two side passages 9, t) which, when connecting adjacent ports allord a passage Whose minimum crosssectional area is substantially the same as that of the ports, thereby givin an unrestricted passage for the flow o the {iuid therethrough. The small end of the plug (preferably the lower end) is squared or anular, and thereon is secured the handle 10.

t the other end, there is a cap 1l screwed into or onto the easing, and between the cap and the larger end of the plug is a spring 12 with sullicieut tension to keep the plug firmly Seated in the easing.

lilith the four-Way valves as non' constructed, the minimum passage through the cock is only a fraction in cross-sectional area. of the cross-sectional area of the pipes to which they are adapted; hence the flow of the iluid through the cock is greatly restricted, making quick work impossible. 'lhis may, of course, be overcome in a measure by using a. larger cock. llut by properly arranging the ports as .l have explained herein and shown in the. drawings, I am` 100 able, with a smaller easing than has hereto.

fore been used and having restrictedpassages through, to all ord unrestricted passage forthe flow of the fluid through the cock; thereby greatly saving in the cost of these articles which are extensively used in railroad and other work, and where the cost is closely reckoned by the weight of the metal used. It, is also to be noted that Wit-h my tir-' rangement of the plug and cap, Iaiord. plug valve or cock of exceeding simplicity-' i l. l and few parts, economically made, easily as; sembled, compensating for the Wear, and readily taken apart for grinding the plug.

It is also to be noted that by elongatinT the ports at their inner ends, I am enable to hare a considerable lap when the ports are closed, the plug having'quite a thick body between its two side passages, instead of a. narrow web asin the case of other fourway cocks; so that my eoek may be safely used as a stop-cock as well with safety and without. danger of leaking.

I contemplate the use of this foune-ay cock in railroad work, especially for operating ash-pans by air pressure in locomotives; but obviously itfrilirydmimhfol'tlcr service, and is especially desirable on ac# count; of its clic-apness, durability, and siinplieity.

In the mditied form shown in Fig. 5, it will be noted that the part of the )lug turned toward the exhaust port is sligitly narrower than that turned tofward the inlet port, the purpose being to permit the [luid lo start its exhaust iii advance of the inlet, and to providea fact-or for insuring the complete ea;l1aust fi;o i n oiie sitl; g f r eylinder while the fluid iipdei'Jiiessiire is adiiiitle'd to the o tlLe- TideLirliich is desirable in operating locoinotiiieash pans by air-pressure. But in other services, as in hoist service, where it is desirable to hold the piston and the load carried therebyr rigid at anyr intermediate point, and to operate the piston in either direction from an intermediate point, the other form is preferable which gives a simultaneous inlet and exhaust..

The part 13 in Fig. 3 is a bracket which inay be cast integrally with the easing, for bolting the cock to the under art of the locomotive, thereby eliminating t ie necessity of otherwise suspending the pipes.

That I claim is:

' 1. In a four-way cock, a casing having ports therethrough Whose outer ends are i 'Us' round, wlif ise inner ends are elongated ano tio of a casingr having ports therethrough whose I inner ends are elongated and narrow and, which gradually contract in length and ex` pand in width toward their outer ends where they are rounded and which are of; substantially the saine area. in cross Section' t-hrou rhout. their length, and a. tapered plug` scatec in the casing having side passages adapted to register with adjacent ports, said side passages having av minimum cross-see-y tional area approximately equal to the cross.;V sectional area. of said ports.

3. The combination of a easing having ai tapered seat and four ports radiating therej-j from equidistantly spaced apart, each of said. ports havin its inner end elongated longitudinally o. said seat and narrowed? transversely and thence gradually shorten-l ing longitudinally and expanding transfversely toward the outer end where the port is rounded and said port being of substaii-f tially the same erosssectional area. throughout its length, a. tapered plug seated in said' casing and having` passages on opposite sides thereof adapted respectively to connect',

adjacent ports the passage therethrough' ha ving a, minimum erossseetionat area approximately equal to the eross-sectional area of said ports, and the stock of said plu between said side passages being caiab e of; closing opposite ports and to over ap both.

edges thereof, substantially as set forth.

.ln testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of witnesses.-

ALEXANDER Il. ANDERSON. Witnesses 2 J. M. STARK, C. J. Rosen- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner et Patents, Washington, D. C." 

